Preliminary data released by the General Authority for Statistics on Thursday revealed a remarkable positive shift in Saudi Arabia's international merchandise trade during April 2026.
The merchandise trade surplus doubled by 100.8 percent compared to the same month last year, reaching 25.4 billion riyals (approximately $6.77 billion), driven by an increase in total merchandise exports and a decrease in spending on imports.
According to the official bulletin, total merchandise exports grew by 9.3 percent to reach 101 billion riyals (approximately $26.93 billion), compared to 93 billion riyals in April 2025.
This growth was primarily driven by an 11.7 percent rise in oil exports, reaching a value of 69.6 billion riyals (approximately $18.56 billion), compared to about 62.7 billion riyals (approximately $16.72 billion) in the previous year, alongside a 4.5 percent growth in non-oil exports (including re-exports), reaching 31.4 billion riyals (approximately $8.37 billion). Among these, the "re-exports" item alone saw a historic jump of 20.4 percent, reaching 15.5 billion riyals (approximately $4.13 billion).
Conversely, a 5.2 percent decline in total merchandise imports, decreasing from 80 billion riyals (approximately $21.33 billion) to 76 billion riyals (approximately $20.26 billion), contributed to the Kingdom's trade balance gains; the merchandise trade surplus doubled by 100.8 percent, rising from approximately 13 billion riyals (approximately $3.47 billion) in April 2025 to expand to 25.4 billion riyals (approximately $6.77 billion) in April 2026.
Logistical Resilience
The re-export movement in the Kingdom recorded unprecedented historic performance; the value of re-exported goods jumped by 20.4 percent to reach a record level of 15.5 billion riyals (approximately $4.13 billion), which is the highest monthly level recorded by statistical data since 2017.
This strong performance was bolstered by a 74.0 percent increase in exports from the "machinery, electrical appliances, and equipment and their parts" sector, which alone accounted for 53.5 percent of total re-exported goods.
This intensive logistical activity occurred as the Kingdom benefited from diverting part of the regional shipping traffic to avoid navigation disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, which accompanied the Iranian war.
Saudi Arabia enhanced the role of its ports as alternative routes by diverting shipping to Red Sea ports (Jeddah and Yanbu), while raising the readiness of eastern and western ports and activating the "East-West" pipeline to ensure the continuous flow of oil and goods. These efforts culminated in a rise in the ratio of non-oil exports (including re-exports) to imports, reaching 41.6 percent compared to 37.8 percent in April 2025.
Goods Structure and Trade Partners
Regarding non-oil trade details, "machinery, electrical appliances, and equipment" topped the list of non-oil exports with a share of 28.1 percent, followed by "plastics, rubber, and their products" at 17.1 percent. As for imports, the same group (machinery and electrical equipment) led the imported goods with a share of 33.3 percent, followed by transport equipment and parts at 10.2 percent.
In terms of international partners, China maintained its position as the Kingdom's main trading partner, accounting for 15.2 percent of total Saudi merchandise exports, followed by the UAE at 10.6 percent, and then South Korea at 9.7 percent. China also ranked first in the Kingdom's import list with 29.4 percent, followed by the UAE at 7.9 percent, and the United States of America third at 7.2 percent.
Jeddah Islamic Port played a pivotal role during this period, topping customs ports as the most important gateway through which 33.7 percent of imported goods passed, and also ranking first as the most important port for the Kingdom's non-oil exports with 23.3 percent.
